I never predict trades, so here is my mock with the picks the Phins currently have.

First round (11th pick of round): No. 11 overallMinkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama – FS is a glaring hole on the Dolphins’ defense, and they can’t pass up a playmaker at the position. Draft him and start him from day one, and figure out what to do with the overpaid and unnecessary TJ McDonald. Sleeper pick: Marcus Davenport, DE, Texas-San Antonio – Tannenbaum loves big, athletic DEs – and Davenport fits the bill. May be a bit high for this raw prospect, but I could see the Phins absolutely loving him.

Fourth round (23rd pick of round): No. 123 overallJaylen Samuels, RB, N.C. State – big, strong back that does everything well. Maybe the best receiving back in this class, and also a strong blocker. Should be an ideal 3rd down back to start his career, but has the skill to be a starter sooner rather than later.

Fourth round (31st pick of round): No. 131 overallDane Cruikshank, CB, Arizona – good size and speed, and he impressed me at the East-West Shrine game. The Phins already have a bunch of corners, but could use some competition.

Sixth round (35th pick of round): No. 209 overallDaniel Carlson, K, Auburn – I HATE using a pick on a kicker, but I definitely think the Phins will so I’m going with Carlson here.

Seventh round (9th pick of round): No. 227 overallSione Teuhema, OLB, Southeast Louisiana – an under-the-radar type who has great size and looks like he could be a sleeper. If the Phins want to start using their LBs as blitzers, Teuhema could be a key piece.

Seventh round: (11th pick of round): No. 229 overallMike White, QB, Western Kentucky – a developmental pocket passer. Not very athletic, but he’s accurate and has ideal size. I thought he looked pretty good during Senior Bowl practices.

I definitely think DT is very much in play at 11...of course Vea and Payne, but also Hurst and Bryan. I'm not sure I'd take any of them at 11, but the Phins do like to draft for need (despite constantly saying that they prefer BPA). DT looks like a gaping hole to me, and I'd be OK with Vea or Payne. Not sexy picks by any means, but at least these dudes can play.

One other note: I wanted to take a LB with one of the 4ths, but I personally think this LB class gets weak very quickly. In contrast, RB and CB look like great value positions in the 4th - both are deep positions.

I definitely think DT is very much in play at 11...of course Vea and Payne, but also Hurst and Bryan. I'm not sure I'd take any of them at 11, but the Phins do like to draft for need (despite constantly saying that they prefer BPA). DT looks like a gaping hole to me, and I'd be OK with Vea or Payne. Not sexy picks by any means, but at least these dudes can play.

Personally, I'd prefer to address DT later in the draft.

We can debate how good Godchaux and Taylor have played, and how they will develop in the future, but I like investing two 5ths and seeing how they pan out. There must be some scout on the team that can find contributors late at DT... thinking back to the Solai pick ( I was shocked he turned into a long time starter in the league). Plus, we hit home runs with Bowens and Gardener. Odrick was probably a better pick than we realize also. In any case - SOMEBODY knows how to scout DTs on our team.

I would LOVE IT if Fitzpatrick fell to us. Great pick. He becomes our 2nd safety. Then we ask TJ McDonald to bulk up just a bit and start him at weakside OLB (at 6'3 he's got the frame to add some bulk in order to hold up in run support). A rookie makes not one, but TWO spots better on defense, now that would be refreshing change.

white1 wrote:We can debate how good Godchaux and Taylor have played, and how they will develop in the future, but I like investing two 5ths and seeing how they pan out. There must be some scout on the team that can find contributors late at DT... thinking back to the Solai pick ( I was shocked he turned into a long time starter in the league). Plus, we hit home runs with Bowens and Gardener. Odrick was probably a better pick than we realize also. In any case - SOMEBODY knows how to scout DTs on our team.

The huge elephant in the room with Godchaux and Taylor (and even Phillips), is, of course, "the Suh factor". While they looked decent (and only decent - nothing more or less) with Suh next to them, how will they perform without him? Personally, I have very little hope for any of the three ever becoming more than decent rotational players. I would like to see the Phins take a DT within the first 3 picks (round 3 ideally, depending on how things play out). Then, we can move on from Phillips after this season when he becomes a FA, and already have his replacement in place.

And...Odrick pretty much sucked. Horrible pick!

Last edited by JMP on Mon Apr 23, 2018 9:20 pm; edited 1 time in total

I initially tried to think like the Dolphins...but that's impossible because they seemingly don't have a real plan! So in the end, I took players I thought would be good fits. The only picks that aren't really "mine" are the kicker and QB...those are moves I think the Phins could make, but I wouldn't draft a kicker and I wouldn't bother with a QB that late.

He is one of the more versatile players in the draft - he is a TE/FB/RB/WR/H-back, and can play special teams - he was even a running QB in high school. I have him listed as a RB in my mock, and I think that's where he fits best at his size (5'11", 225), but the idea would be to move him around as a chess piece and create matchup nightmares. Think Ty Montgomery. For the Phins, initially he can be a third-down back and an H-back, and line up some in the slot.